Geoff Schneider

Alina Estrella and Daemen women's basketball look to lock up the No. 1 seed for next week's ECC Tournament Thursday night at Molloy.

Women's Basketball Faces Molloy Thursday In Rockville Centre

Daemen clinches third consecutive ECC regular season title, No. 1 seed for upcoming ECC Tournament with win

2/23/2022 11:15:00 AM

GAME #21
Daemen Wildcats (16-4, 14-1 ECC) vs. Molloy Lions (15-8, 12-4 ECC)
Thursday, February 24 | 5 p.m. | Quealy Gymnasium | Rockville Centre, N.Y.

Watch - ECC Sports Network
Live Stats
Game Notes (PDF)

JUMP BALL
Daemen kicks off the final week of their 2021-22 regular season schedule when they visit Molloy at Quealy Gymnasium Thursday night. The Wildcats remain atop the ECC standings after splitting their final regular season home stand – a loss versus St. Thomas Aquinas (Feb. 18) and a win versus Mercy (Feb. 20.) Daemen is one win away from clinching the ECC regular season championship and the top seed in the upcoming ECC Tournament. Molloy locked up the #2 seed behind a 73-53 win versus Roberts Wesleyan on Feb. 19 – their eighth straight win.

A MAGICAL RUN
The Wildcats earned their second consecutive NCAA tournament berth and captured their first regional title last March. After entering the tournament as the No. 2 seed in the East Regional, the Wildcats ran to a 73-54 win over third-seeded Georgian Court in the regional semifinals, marking the program's first-ever NCAA tournament victory. The Wildcats followed up with a 58-40 defeat of fifth-seeded Roberts Wesleyan in the regional final, avenging a loss just nine days prior in the ECC Championship final. Katie Titus was named the Most Outstanding Player of the East Regional after netting 22 points to go with seven rebounds, three blocks and two steals in the regional final. The postseason run came to an end just over a week later in Columbus, Ohio where the Wildcats suffered a 66-49 loss in the Elite Eight to top-seeded and eventual national champion Lubbock Christian.

RELOADED
Daemen is set to return 13 players, including four starters, from their regional championship team – players responsible for 78% of scoring, 81% of rebounds and 85% of their assists from a season ago. Among the returners is senior forward Katie Titus who was recently named the ECC Preseason Player of the Year. A 6-foot forward, Titus produced a career-high 14.8 points per game last season. She led the ECC in three-point field goals (48) and blocks (40) while also ranking second in rebounding (8.1 rpg) and third in scoring en route to earning honorable mention All-American honors. Redshirt senior guard Tiara Filbert - the 2020-21 ECC Preseason Player of the Year - is also set to return after being limited to just eight games by an injury last season. A three-time All-ECC selection, Filbert enters her final collegiate season with 1,096 points in 93 games played. Senior forward Mickayla Ivy (9.4 ppg, 6.5 rpg) and sophomore guard Alahna Paige (2020-21 ECC Rookie of the Year) also return.

BANK ON IT
Jenepher Banker returns for her sixth season on the Daemen bench and her 11th overall as a collegiate head coach. The veteran mentor has led Daemen to an 94-54 record since taking the reins in 2016, with 71 of her victories coming over the past four seasons. The Wildcats' success under Banker includes a 23-win season in 2019-20 (a benchmark for wins during the program's NCAA Division II era), back-to-back regular season conference titles, the program's first ECC tournament championship, a pair of NCAA tournament berths and the 2021 regional title. She was named the ECC Coach of the Year after leading the Wildcats to an unbeaten run through conference play. Including her five seasons as the head coach at Penn State Behrend, Banker recorded her 150th win at the collegiate level in Daemen's 76-59 victory at Staten Island on December 17.

IN THE POLLS
For the first time in the program's NCAA Division II era (2015-present), Daemen was nationally ranked to start the season. Daemen was ranked 20th in the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Preseason Top 25 Coaches Poll and eighth in the Division II Sports Information Directors of America (D2SIDA) Preseason Media Poll. The Wildcats ended the 2020-21 season ranked eighth in both polls - the first time they've finished a season in the national rankings. In the poll's last four weeks, a span which ended Feb. 14, Daemen was ranked eighth in D2SIDA'S latest East Region Poll. The Wildcats have now been ranked in 34 consecutive D2SIDA regional polls, since January 2019. On Feb. 16, Daemen was placed eighth in the first NCAA Division East Region rankings.

MILESTONE MOMENT
By converting a free-throw in the second quarter of a 54-53 win over Angelo State on November 19, senior Katie Titus became the 27th member of Daemen's 1,000-point club. In 93 career games, Titus has made 85 starts and totaled 1,363 points, 733 rebounds and 147 blocked shots. She ranks ninth in career scoring all-time at Daemen. By converting four three-pointers versus Mercy on Feb. 20, Titus passed former teammate Jordan Heinold '20 for third all-time in career three-pointers made (179) among Daemen's all-time leaders. A three-time All-ECC selection, Titus is one of only four players in program history to have 1,000 points, 500 rebounds and 100 blocks in a career. Titus has reached double-figure scoring in 19 contests (16 consecutive) and recorded six double-doubles while averaging an ECC-best 20.3 points and 8.0 rebounds per game this season.

HIGH ECC-XPECTATIONS
For the second straight season, Daemen has been selected as the preseason favorite to win the ECC. The Wildcats were the near unanimous choice atop the ECC Preseason Coaches Poll, garnering nine of the 10 first-place votes and 97 points. The Wildcats posted a 9-0 ECC record last season - the program's first unbeaten conference season since 2003-04 - and hold a 55-9 conference mark since the start of the 2018-19 season.

SWEET CAROLINE
The biggest missing piece from last season is forward Caroline White who was lost to graduation last spring. White earned ECC Player of the Year honors last season after averaging 15.2 points (second in ECC) and 8.5 rebounds (first in ECC) per game.

T IT UP
Daemen has regained the services of redshirt senior guard Tiara Filbert to start the 2021-22 season. A three-time All-ECC selection, Filbert missed the final nine games last season with an injury. She has appeared in 113 games and 104 starts in her career, averaging 11.7 points, 5.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game. In Daemen's 2020-21 season opener, she became the 25th member of the program's 1,000 Point Club. Filbert currently ranks 12th in program history with 1,324 career points.

BREAKOUT SEASON
After averaging 2.8 points and 2.6 rebounds per game in her first two seasons, senior forward Mickayla Ivy had a breakout year in 2020-21. She started all 17 contests, averaged 9.4 points and 6.5 rebounds per game while shooting 50% from the field and was an All-ECC Second Team selection. This season, Ivy has started all 20 contests and is third on the team in both points per game (8.7) and rebounds per game (5.8) and has finished in double-figure scoring 10 times.

GETTING DEFENSIVE
Daemen has held 53 of its last 64 opponents to 65 points or less, posting a 48-5 record in those games. The Wildcats were among the best defensive teams in the country in 2020-21, ranking third nationally in both field goal percentage defense (.325) and scoring defense (51.6).

SUSTAINED SUCCESS
Daemen has posted a 67-14 record in their last 81 games, a span that dates back to mid-January of 2019. The Wildcats have won 12 of their 18 regular season, non-conference games in that time.

MAGIC NUMBER 1
Daemen enters the final week of the regular season with a chance to sew up the No. 1 seed and hosting rights for next month's ECC Championship tournament. The Wildcats' magic number is one, meaning a Daemen win against either Molloy or Queens on the road will be enough to clinch. It would mark Daemen's third consecutive ECC regular season title.

STREAKS SNAPPED
With their 61-53 loss versus St. Thomas Aquinas on Feb. 18, Daemen saw many streaks come to a close. Their 13-game winning streak heading into Friday was the longest among all NCAA Division II East Region teams. The loss against the Spartans also ended a stretch where the Wildcats recorded 22 consecutive regular season ECC contests, dating back to the start of their first-ever unbeaten conference season in program history in 2020-21. Their last regular season ECC loss came in a 47-43 loss to the former NY Tech on March 1, 2020. The Wildcats were even more dominant in regular season ECC games at Lumsden Gymnasium as their loss against the Spartans was their first on Main Street since a 76-62 loss versus Roberts Wesleyan on Feb. 9, 2018 (1,470 days.) Daemen's regular season conference winning streak at home ended at 31 straight games.

FRESH FACES
Daemen welcomes just two newcomers to the roster this season. Junior guard Sarah Cloutier is a transfer from NAIA affiliate Southeastern where she appeared in 38 games over two seasons while helping the Fire post a 53-6 record. Guard Sydney Hvizdzak is the lone freshmen on Daemen's roster. She comes to the Wildcats after earning All-Western New York honors last winter when she averaged 26.9 points and 9.6 rebounds per game while leading Randolph to the Section VI Class C title game. Hvizdzak is one of only 15 women in Section VI history to surpass 2,000 career points.

CACC DOMINANCE
Since gaining full NCAA membership in 2015, Daemen is 9-1 against affiliates of the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference. The Wildcats won their eighth straight game with a CACC opponent when they defeated Felician 72-50 on Nov. 13 at the Redhawks Classic.

BATTLING THE NE10'S BEST
Daemen will play four games against Northeast 10 Conference opponents this season, including teams picked first, second and third in the NE10 Northeast Division preseason coaches' poll. The Wildcats suffered a five-point loss to Saint Anselm (picked third) in their season opener and two-point loss to Stonehill (picked first) on Nov. 30. Daemen will visit Bentley (picked second) on Jan. 2, and will also host Le Moyne (picked fourth in NE10 Southwest Division) on Dec. 30.

TEXAS SQUEAKER
Mickayla Ivy hit a jumper with 19 seconds to go and then secured a defensive rebound to help Daemen get past Angelo State, 54-53, in the opening round of the Lady Chap Classic hosted by Lubbock Christian on Nov. 19. It was the Wildcats' first one-point victory since defeating rival Roberts Wesleyan, 70-69, on Jan. 20, 2015. Katie Titus scored 22 points – including the 1,000th of her career – and grabbed 10 rebounds to lead the Wildcats past the Belles.

ELITE REMATCH
On Nov. 20, Daemen suffered a 62-37 loss to Lubbock Christian in a rematch of the Wildcats' first-ever NCAA Division II Elite Eight game from last March. The Chaps are the defending national champions and were ranked No. 1 in both national polls to start the season.

OFFENSIVE EXPLOSIONS
After averaging 59.8 points in their first five games of the season, the Wildcats broke out offensively with three consecutive wins in conference play in December. It started Dec. 8 when they canned 18 three-pointers on 32 attempts (.563 shooting %) during an 83-46 romp over Roberts Wesleyan in what was the teams' first meeting since last season's East Regional finals. Sydney Hvizdzak (5-8, 15 points), Tiara Filbert (4-4, 16 points), Katie Titus (4-5, 16 points) and Kaytlyn Matz (3-7, 9 points) all made multiple three-pointers in the win. Then, on Dec. 12, the Wildcats erupted again during a 97-83 win over Bridgeport. It marked their first game with 95+ points since a 96-84 win over LIU Post on Jan. 25, 2017. Titus scored a career-high 38 points on 15-of-22 shooting, matching the highest individual scoring effort of the program's NCAA Division II era. Filbert, who shares the record, chipped in 20 points and nine rebounds. Then, on Dec. 17, the Wildcats made timely shots down the stretch in a 76-59 victory over Staten Island, the first meeting in program history. Titus recorded her sixth double-double of the season (26 points, 16 rebounds) as one of four Wildcat players to finish in double-figure scoring. Kaytlyn Matz set new career-highs in made three-point field goals (5) and attempts (11) as part of a 16-point night plus seven rebounds, three assists and two blocks. Mickayla Ivy added 10 points and seven rebounds and Autumn Buchsenschutz scored eight of her 11 points in the second half alone, including 3-of-4 shooting from beyond the arc.

BACK IN ACTION
After a 28-day absence due to the NCAA-mandated holiday break in late December followed by the postponement of four consecutive games related to COVID-19 protocols, Daemen returned to the hardwood with a 61-58 victory over Molloy on Jan. 14 in the friendly confines of Lumsden Gymnasium. The Lions scored 11 straight points to fuel a 17-6 lead at the end of the first quarter. Daemen found its shooting rhythm in the second quarter and cut the deficit to as much as four points (26-22.) Molloy went into the break with a 28-23 lead. By scoring the final seven points of the third and another 10 unanswered points at the start of the fourth, the Wildcats scored a total of 17 unanswered points to take a 54-47 lead. A Daemen scoring drought gave the Lions a chance to make this a one-possession game (54-51) with just over three minutes to play. Molloy converted two free-throws with 1:34 left to make the score 55-53 Daemen, which remained the score until Filbert's two free-throws with 15 seconds left. Molloy drained a three-pointer with three seconds left to make this a one-point game (59- 58), but Daemen again converted two free throws to close out the scoring. Tiara Filbert finished with a team-high 20 points in the victory.

MORE SUCCESS AT LUMSDEN
On Jan. 16, Daemen extended their winning ways with an 80-43 victory over Queens College to record their 28th consecutive regular season victory in ECC play at Lumsden Gymnasium, dating back to the start of the 2017-18 season. Daemen held a 14-2 lead halfway through the first quarter and took a 24-4 lead into the second quarter. The lead ballooned to 32 points, 41-9, late in the second quarter and the hosts took a 48-15 lead into intermission before maintaining a comfortable lead throughout the second half. Freshman Sydney Hvizdzak connected on 4-of-8 three-pointers and scored a season-high 18 points for the Wildcats in just 18 minutes of action off the bench while senior Katie Titus added 13 points and six rebounds. Daemen converted 10 three-point shots, the fourth time in a five game stretch that the Wildcats made 10 or more three-pointers in a game. Daemen also registered 23 assists, the third time in a five-game stretch where the blue-and-white handed out 20 or more assists in a game (season-high 25 vs. Roberts Wesleyan on 12/9/21).

THEY CAME, THEY SAW, THEY CONQUERED
Behind a pair of double-figure scorers – 21 points from senior Katie Titus and 11 points from redshirt senior Tiara Filbert – and quality contributions from fellow veteran play-makers, the regionally-ranked Wildcats recorded a sixth consecutive win and their eighth in their last 10 contests following a 64-48 victory against St. Thomas Aquinas on Jan. 21 in an East Coast Conference matchup held at Aquinas Hall. Sophmore guard Kaytlyn Matz, junior forward Marina Maerkl and sophomore guard Alahna Paige added nine points apiece in the victory. Matz also had a team-high four assists and tied with Paige for the team lead in rebounds (8.) In addition to finishing in double-figure scoring for the seventh straight contest (10th time this season), Titus recorded a season-high four blocks and went a perfect 6-of-6 at the free-throw line. The victory marked just the second time Daemen defeated STAC at Aquinas Hall in program history. The first victory came in a 79-73 overtime thriller on February 11, 2016.

BATTLE OF THE UNDEFEATED
On Jan. 23, Daemen went down to Dobbs Ferry to face fellow ECC unbeaten Mercy and returned to Main Street with a 55-51 win and first place in the conference standings. The Wildcats turned an early 14-2 deficit into a 28-6 run over the final 14:10 of the first half. Redshirt senior Tiara Filbert (Batavia, N.Y.) led the Wildcats offensively by scoring 10 of her game-high 18 points in the first half alone and tied her season-high in assists (6) for the third time this season. As a result, Filbert passed Joanna Daugenti '05 for 13th place in career scoring. This marked the second time this season where Daemen won a contest after scoring less than 60 points (Angelo State, Nov. 19, 2021.) This is also the 13th time Daemen has accomplished this feat since the Jenepher Banker era began in the 2016-17 campaign. The Wildcats have now won 12 straight in the series and nine of the last 10 meetings in Victory Hall. Daemen leads the all-time series, 15-2.

COMEBACK KIDS
On Feb. 2, Daemen came away with a late 73-68 win at Roberts Wesleyan for a 20th consecutive regular season conference victory dating back to the start of last season and extending their current winning streak to 11 straight contests. The Redhawks held a 64-58 lead with just over four minutes left. That's when redshirt senior Tiara Filbert and fellow veterans Katie Titus and Mickayla Ivy took over and led the Wildcats on an 11-2 run. Ivy sparked the run with back-to-back buckets and her jumper with 1:30 left capped the run and gave the visitors a 69-66 lead. Filbert hit a pull up three-pointer during the rally, while Titus gave the Wildcats the lead for good (67-66) with 2:01 left. Filbert helped seal the deal with four free-throws – all within the last 20 seconds of the contest. Filbert totaled a season-high 22 points, grabbed nine rebounds and dished out a season-high seven assists. Titus scored 16 points and has now scored in double figures in 12 straight games. Ivy added eight points and equaled her season-high with 12 rebounds. Sophomore guard Alahna Paige went 3-of-4 from downtown and finished with a season-high 13 points while freshman guard Sydney Hvizdzak drilled three three-pointers (11 points total) in 15 minutes off the bench. Daemen has now prevailed in 10 of the last 11 meetings with RWC (50-25 all-time.)

SCOUTING MOLLOY
The Molloy Lions are members of the East Coast Conference and are led by eighth-year head coach Joe Pellicane, who has coached at the collegiate level for over four decades. With the Lions, Pellicane has compiled 105 wins and led the team to a program-record 24 wins and the ECC Tournament title in 2016-17, the program's first title since 2010 and advanced to the East Regional Championship for the first time in program history. Since returning to Rockville Center in 2015, Pellicane has led Molloy to four East Coast Conference Tournaments and two NCAA Tournaments in the past seven seasons. Pellicane also guided the former Dowling College women's basketball team for nine years (2006-13), where he earned 169 wins and advanced to the NCAA Division II National Championship finals and two NCAA tournament berths.

Six players return from Molloy's 2020-21 team that finished 4-5 overall (3-4 ECC) and advanced to the ECC semifinals before falling to Daemen, 52-42, at Lumsden Gymnasium, on March 4 in an abbreviated season due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Senior guard Gabriella Aspuru leads the Lions in points per game (16.5, third-best in ECC), assists per game (3.0) and blocks per game (2.0, second-best in ECC) and has finished in double-figure scoring in 20 of 23 games (13 consecutive.) Graduate student forward Safiyyah Lee is second in both scoring (13.3) and rebounding (8.5) and has recorded seven double-doubles. Graduate student guard Maya Thomas is third in scoring (9.1) and leads in three-point shooting (36-of-105.)

Molloy enters Thursday's contest with a 15-8 record (12-4 ECC) and clinched the #2 seed in the upcoming ECC Tournament after a 73-53 victory versus Roberts Wesleyan on Feb. 19.

SERIES HISTORY VS. MOLLOY
All-Time Series: 13-4
At Molloy: 3-4
Current Streak: Won 3
Last Meeting: Daemen 61, Molloy 58 | January 14, 2022 | at Amherst, N.Y.

DID YOU KNOW?
Did you know that Daemen is 4-2 in games decided by five points or less this season? This includes Daemen's first meeting with Molloy, a 61-58 win, on Jan. 14. Offensively, the Wildcats have converted 10 or more three-pointers in eight contests and have also dished 20+ assists seven times and 10+ assists in 17 straight games.

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